Clinton voters have full array of issues for town meeting

CLINTON — When voters go to work Monday, starting at 7 p.m. in town hall, they will decide the town budget, proposed at $40.7 million.

In addition, 32 warrant articles await voter action, including two put forth by citizen petitions, as well as four on the special town meeting warrant.

The articles could add another $3 million or more to the town spending, depending on the whim of voters.

Among major articles are those to fund a new fire engine at $500,000, renovate the track at the athletic complex at $300,000, continue work including asbestos removal at the middle school at $600,000 and fund textbooks and technology at $150,000.

Fire department radios

A citizens' petition will ask voters to support spending $470,000 on UHF radio equipment to replace existing emergency communication equipment for the fire department.

The firefighters have lobbied for the new system, arguing there are too many lapses in their communications, potentially putting firefighters as well as those they are helping at risk.

A study of the communication system recommended further examining the problems in an attempt to determine a definitive solution.

Among potential problems, one is being addressed, with a new radio tower being constructed to replace an old one that is coming down along with the old water tank on Burditt Hill. Selectmen and firefighters have disagreed on whether that might fix the problem, with selectmen wanting to wait until that change to see if the problem was solved.

Firefighters note the issues that can occur with their older radio equipment, some of which comes from different manufacturers.

Another issue is whether the fire and police can communicate on the same system. Each department has its own dispatchers and radio system, operating independently, and the ability to communicate between the departments is seen as a major safety issue.

The article would fund all new radios in the trucks, dispatch, radio tower and radios for every member of the department as well as multiple remote receivers around town to help with coverage, firefighter Dustin Whiteaker said. It would also "prepare us for the future federally mandated upgrades," he said. "The main issue is definitely system performance and reliability."

Whiteaker said the firefighters "have been trying vigorously to work with the town for three years and have documentation back to 2001 to show our requests for more and better radio equipment."

Concrete sidewalks

Another citizen's petition was placed on the warrant after a meeting to explain planned Water Street renovations to residents along the road. Although it was designed to answer questions for those from whom the town needs mostly temporary easements, it sparked one resident's desire to see the planned $5 million project made just a bit more attractive.

Joshua Thomason asked about concrete sidewalks, rather than the asphalt sidewalks that would be part of the federal and state-funded project.

He was told the town could not afford the estimated $500,000 cost, which the funding would not cover. The cost would also deplete town funds that would otherwise go to road repairs.

Thomason opted, however, to learn about democracy in action and bring the issue to town meeting, arguing the concrete sidewalks would not only be more attractive but last better than those made of asphalt. He said the existing sidewalks of concrete had lasted well, since about the 1960s, and concrete was estimated to last 50 years rather than 15 for asphalt, thus needing replacement, if funded, three times over the life of a concrete sidewalk.

"Asphalt walks would be seen as a downgrade," Thomason said. "Although probably nicer for the first few years, it won't take much time for them to deteriorate past the point of where our 50 years old sidewalks are now."

Thomason's article, put on with the signatures of 10 residents, seeks $500,000 for the costs, but he said Highway Superintendent Chris McGown later indicated a more detailed review of the concrete sidewalks put the additional cost at $152,000.

A motion on the floor of town meeting would be able to lower the amount sought for the sidewalks before voters determine if the additional cost is something they want to fund.

More business

Other major articles include two that would change the elected position of treasurer and collector to appointed positions, similar to that of many neighboring communities. Voters previously rejected the change, as recently as last year.

The arguments for the appointed position center around appointing professionals to the financial positions rather than having them elected, which could bring lesser qualified people to the positions. They would then report to the town administrator, rather than being elected.

A state Department of Revenue review in 2007 suggested making the positions appointed but that idea was rejected by voters that year.

"Because the treasurer, collector, the assessors and various boards are all elected, there is no accountability in town hall to a single management presence, and as a result, no real means to implement town-wide goals," that report said. "We continue to advocate for an appointed collector and treasurer even though a proposal to convert the positions was recently rejected by town meeting."

In addition, there are oversights provided through accounting, from the state Department of Revenue to the town's annual audit, which current Treasurer Pat McIntyre, who is not seeking re-election next week, said has shown the town's finances are in very good shape and there were no issues. Annual audits often note items for the town to review, including small technical issues, but red flag any issues that could put the town or its accounting at risk. McIntyre said no problems have been flagged in recent audits.

"Over the last nine years there is not one thing listed as a material issue" in the annual audits of finances, McIntyre said.

He said items listed in the management letter have been whittled down, including things like filing protocol. An issue on dental withholding had been tabled by selectmen in past years, he said, but is finally being addressed this year.

"I can see the validity on both sides of the argument," McIntyre said, but added the town administration and selectmen had not sought information, such as tax receipts or the regular audits. He questioned whether that would be any different under an appointed treasurer and collector since the information was always available and he was willing to meet with selectmen.

McIntyre said the change would also not be a cost savings and noted using the oversight already in place "has to start from the top"

Previous efforts to make the positions appointed had also included making a similar change for town solicitor and assessors as well, and did not include the language in this year's articles that elected people in the positions would continue once the change was made.

Another article would fund town purchase of streetlights in downtown from National Grid, including along High Street, and start the process of replacing them with more decorative streetlights.

Residents will also be asked to add another $100,000 to renovating The Clinton Home into the town's new senior center, after added costs, such as asbestos removal and rewiring, upped the budget for the project, being funded partly with federal funds as well as money the town has contributed and grants.

Voters are being asked to increase the number of police sergeants from four to five, to reduce the number of sergeant shifts filled through overtime.

Some articles that were originally proposed for the warrant were removed and folded into the budget, such as some library roof repairs and gas heating conversion and improvements at Philbin Memorial Park..

Other articles will seek funding for: the town's health insurance trust fund at $150,000, property re-evaluation at $42,000; new voting machines and election booths at $40,800; Savage Field master plan study at $45,000; additional power capability at Central Park at $25,000; ice rink at $11,500; middle school improvements at $150,000; schools' snow plow truck at $60,000.

Several articles - such as the field renovation and asbestos removal at the schools - cost more than $300,000 and were structured to be dependent not only on passage at the town meeting, but with a debt exclusion at the June 9 election, also. The article for the fire department radios may be altered on the town meeting floor to operate the same way.

The special town meeting at 7 p.m. will ask voters to approve funding for retroactive wages negotiated in contracts for the current fiscal year: DPW at $25,914; Fire Department at $38,685; and Police Department at $66,788. A fourth article seeks to allocate $66,428 declared surplus to defray the 2012 overlay reserve, using funds left from an earlier year to help supplement higher than anticipated overlay spending in another year.